This is a weekly feature where Christa of Hooked on Books and myself will be watching and discussing all of the reboot of Doctor Who. Posts will contain spoilers for that episode and ones before it, so you may want to watch the episode before reading. I hope you’ll join us in enjoying this fantastic show, and don’t forget to check out Christa’s post as well! Allons-y!

The Doctor Dances by Steven Moffat

We last left our heroes trapped between a rock and a hard place or more precisely a wall and a group of gas-mask-faced zombies. The Doctor, Rose, and their new companion Jack must find a way to save everyone, but first they must save themselves.

Honestly, this is pretty high up there on my favourite Doctor Who episodes ever. I may even go so far as to say it’s my favourite episode of season 1. It’s definitely the most memorable episode of the season for me, and when I think of the ninth Doctor, this is the episode I think of. There are just SO MANY GOOD QUOTES.

Okay, first off, I love the Jack/Rose/Doctor dynamic. Not even in a shipping way (though the Doctor and Rose “dancing” while Jack watches…come on that is so a sexual innuendo). I just love how they interact and how Jack makes the Doctor so protective and jealous and Jack and Rose gang up on the Doctor (everything sounds sexual when you’re talking about Jack XD). Also, it’s so interesting watching the Jack/Doctor relationship because of what it will later become.

Next, can we take a moment to appreciate that Rose is really CLEVER. The Doctor and Jack are panicking and Rose just shoots the floor and saves them all. Rose isn’t known for her cleverness, but she really, really is smart. The Doctor trusts her to be clever too. When they’re trying to figure out how the people started to mutate there’s a moment where Rose says she doesn’t know the answer and the Doctor is just like “yes you do” and then she does. I know it’s such a insignificant thing, but for me it’s a beautiful moment because it shows how much faith the Doctor has in Rose and that when she’s giving that trust she can totally rise to the occasion. As a teacher, it’s something that is really important to remember about ones students too.

Finally, it’s so strange rewatching this episode and realizing it was written by Moffat. He really has a thing for the mother saviour figure, doesn’t he? And the Doctor pulls a total Sherlock moment at the beginning of the episode that makes me feel like Wholock (Sherlock/DW crossover) is already a reality.

Favourite Quotes (aka the entire episode)

“Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks ‘This could be a little more sonic’?” – Jack

“Plenty of greens and chew your food.” – Nancy (I love this line because she fully expects to never see these kids again, and these are her parting words. It’s like she’s saying “I love you” but can’t quite manage it.)